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Iran, Armenian leaders discuss expanding transport routes

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Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, right, gestures while speaking to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, during an official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Yerevan, Armenia, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016. Rouhani began his 3-day tour to Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on bilateral ties and regional developments. (Davit Hakobyan, PAN Photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

YEREVAN, Armenia –  Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani says on a visit to Armenia that the two nations should work to expand transport routes in the region.

Rouhani said Wednesday after talks with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan that Iran and Armenia must develop a transport corridor that will lead from the Persian Gulf all the way to the Black Sea.

Landlocked Armenia borders Iran, along with Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The former Soviet nation has suffered from a crippling economic blockade imposed by Turkey, which supports its ally Azerbaijan in the conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Rouhani said it’s important for Iran and Armenia to boost their security cooperation. He noted the two nations should also jointly tackle environmental issues related to the Aras River that flows along their border.

500 ISIL Militants Transported From Syria to Yemen – Syrian Army Turkish airlines

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1029191357Sputnik News Report: Over 500 ISIL militants have been transported from Syria to Yemen aboard planes arriving from Turkey to fight against Houthi rebels, a Syrian general said Tuesday.

Syrian Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Ali Maihub claimed that more than 500 ISIL militants had been transported from Syria to Yemen aboard 4 planes that had arrived from Turkey on October 26.

According to him, two of the planes belong to Turkish airlines, one is a Qatari aircraft and one is a UEA plane.

“According to the intelligence data, 4 planes arrived from Turkey at the airport of Aden [in Yemen] on October 26. Two of them [planes] belonged to Turkish airlines, one — to Qatar airlines and another aircraft was owned by an UAE airline. More than 500 militants of ISIL terrorist group were on board, they were transported from Syria to save them from Russian airstrikes,” Maihub said, according to RIA Novosti.
He further claimed Saudi-led coalition officers met ISIL militants at the airport in Yemen. The Syrian general said that the jihadists were supposed to take part in a ground operation against Houthi rebels.
“[ISIL] militants were met by officers from the Saudi-led coalition, who took them out of the [Yemeni] airport in three groups. The first group was taken to the town of al-Bab in the Mandeb province, the second — to Maariv, the third — to Saudi provinces Jazan and Asir,” he said.
“The militants are expected to take part in the ongoing ground operation where ground coalition forces have recently suffered serious losses in clashes with Houthi fighters,” the general said, adding that, based on intelligence data, similar transfers of ISIL militants from Syria would continue.
“According to available information, operations aimed to transport ISIL terrorists from Syria will continue in a short time,” he added.